Unedited version filed for print . . .
Rather than look far and wide to solve a problem at cornerback, the Raiders hope to have found the answer by crossing the county line and signing 49ers free agents Tarell Brown and Carlos Rogers.

The revolving door of veteran corners started in 2012 with Ron Bartell and Shawntae Spencer, neither of whom could stay healthy. Spencer went on injured reserve and Bartell was released before the season was over.

Last season it was Mike Jenkins and Tracy Porter, with the Raiders determining at the end of the season that neither merited a serious contract offer.

Brown and Rogers represent a third chance to get it right, and likely will go into training camp as the projected starters _ just as they were for the last three seasons on a 49ers team that went 36-11-1 and went to the NFC championship game each year, winning one.

Rogers, who sat out his second straight minicamp practice with a minor calf injury, said the 49ers team he joined in 2011 as a free agent was in a similar place to where the Raiders are now.

The 49ers had gone eight years without a winning season before Jim Harbaugh and his staff arrived. Rogers was one of several veterans brought in to go along with some good young players drafted in previous years.

“Before I got there, they weren’t good,’’ Rogers said. “They always had a top 10 pick, were sorry, and the division wasn’t really good, period.’’

Brown, who played under Mike Nolan and Mike Singletary on teams that went 5-11, 7-9, 8-8 and 6-10, can see a parallel.

“My first few years we weren’t as successful, but he attention to detail changed, the mindset changed and the attitude changed and you can see that here,’’ Brown said. “On days like this at practice, the attention to detail is amazing and guys have been putting in extra work. You see guys standing afterward and asking lots of questions. That’s how we started with the 49ers.’’

Brown, who felt slighted by the 49ers initial contract offer and signed with the Raiders for one year and $4.5 million, is entrenched as one starter.

Rogers was brought in to play in the slot and will on third downs, but could end up playing fulltime if second-year player DJ Hayden can’t stay healthy long enough to develop into the player the Raiders thought he’d be when he was taken in the first round in 2013.

One advantage the veterans have over their predecessors at cornerback is they are already familiar with each other as well as similarities in a defensive scheme that has seen coordinator Jason Tarver borrow heavily from the 49ers.

Tarver was a 49ers assistant when Brown was there but departed for Stanford when Rogers arrived. He said both players have already identified familiar plays called by different names.

“The biggest thing with those two guys is they want to be right,’’ Tarver said. “They want to win, they understand how to win, and they’ve won.’’

Brown said there’s a comfort level from having Rogers on the same team on the opposite side of the bay.

“We understand each other,’’ Brown said. “We understand what we like, we understand our body language, how to play together and how to win games.’’

Rogers feels like a handful of his teammates in that at age 32 he feels he’s got plenty of football left.

“You can be playing good, but you get to a certain age and it’s not about how you’re playing,’’ Rogers said. “If you’re making too much money at age 30, they’re ready to push you out and get somebody younger. It happened with (Tarell) and he’s younger than me.

“We’ve got guys, whether we were pushed out because of cap room or age, we’ve got something to prove. We still think we can play _ actually, we know we can still play. Things are happening. Me and `T,’ we’re on the on the other side of the bay and we’re going to make a change.’’

– Weak side linebacker Miles Burris got into a scuffle with left tackle Donald Penn, with teammates breaking it up.

– Wide receiver James Jones missed practice with an AC sprain and also won’t practice in Thursday’s final minicamp session.

Loved Lester back in the day as well. A stuttering beast covered in stickum.

plunkhead

Not shocked at all. Reggie better have got Carr right or its back to 300 grand instead of three mill

ForHundred8

Al Davis tipped that ball though.

Dr. Hunter S. Thompson

Even Reggie couldn’t blow that pick.

Reggie gets no credit.

FIRE REGGIE NOW.

PlunkforHOF

I’m not the biggest Prince fan, but he was great. Especially on guitar.

Sir Raider Duck, OMS

Dio hasn’t been in Sabbath for well over 20 years. What are you talking about?

Dr. Hunter S. Thompson

He needs help.

Breaking_Black

New post, playuhs.

PlunkforHOF

Not showing up for me.

FourMoreYears

Dio Sabbath > Ozzy Sabbath

Breaking_Black

Its a Q&A with DA.

PlunkforHOF

Now its there

MachoManRandySavage

There is one thing that bothers me about DA more than the fact he is a lousy coach. He is a lousy leader. A good coach gives the team an identity and builds on it. Can somebody please tell me wtf is DA trying to build here? we arent a physicall team nor a finesse team, we cant cover, blitz or stop the friggin run… our special teams get us in more trouble than they help… the offense is zone blocking, power blocking, read option, deep ball, west coast… LOL, its crazy how the team has zeeeero identity.

D players dont last and dont know if we are 4-3,3-4, man2man, cover 2, etc… no identity, no path.

willy91137

It would probably worth kicking the tires on let’s see if Reggie will do it

willy91137

Reggie likes that

willy91137

Well you won’t be surprised

SnBG

If you look at the off season this year we are building a team that will be physical on both the lines. A solid running team that will live on play action passing due to that run game. We have maulers on the O line. On D it’s very clear that Allen favors versatility in players that can play a hybrid attacking D. With the talent getting better you will see a more aggressive O and a very aggressive D.

Snakebite

I don’t think you are really paying attention to whats going on. You seem to be criticizing just to criticize.

rudegruden

Lolol

Blackholepriest

That’s what I have been saying. How can you develop players in an environment like this.

Blackholepriest

For how long before DA throws another OC under the bus because his record stinks?

r8ter4evr

Other teams rejects and our poor draft picks sure do make a SB quality team
You are so RIGHT

Concern is one thing but some of the comments are overreaction. The kid once healthy is gonna show he would have been fine at the number 3 spot in draft. He’s a ball hawk

Alex7

word

Brutus

Seems like the RM and DA haters have had blinders on as to what has happened since they took over the team. If RM did not dismantle this team and get rid of the overpaid underachievers as quickly as he did, we would not have had the type of cap room to bring in the players we did this year. If Hue would have gained the power he wanted over personnel decisions, he still would have lost the good free agents because he wouldn’t have had any money to retain them. The difference is that Hue would likely have fallen back on trading future draft picks for a player or two, thinking that he was only a player or two away.
The reality is that our cap was a disaster and you can’t keep trading away your draft picks. Look at the Raiders teams of the past. We brought in key players in free agency, but a lot was homegrown through the draft. Our cap is now healthy, we’ve got all our high draft picks moving forward and this team has more talent than the team Hue had at 8-8.
As far as identity, RM focused on defense and o-line. This will be a hard hitting defense that pressures the QB and a smash mouth, run first offense that will open up the big passing plays. And there is no identity crisis of zone vs power blocking. The zone blockers are gone. The guys RM brought in through free agency and the draft this offseason are all big power guys. The zone blocking scheme was the previous OC and the conversion began almost immediately. The biggest thing about our identify is that RM has gathered players who love to play football.
Which positions do you feel we are weaker this year than last? We lost Veldheer and Houston, but the o-line is vastly improved as is the defense. It will be interesting to see how both players do on their new teams. I’m not a hater of either player, but it will be interesting to see how they do this coming season. Most “promising” players who have left the Raiders since RM has come aboard have not exactly fulfilled that promise or warranted the contracts they got from those teams.
This year will tell the story. If we flop, I will be the first to admit on this site that I was wrong. I don’t see that happening. I think we will surprise and be a 9-7 or 10-6 wildcard team with a chance at better if we have decent health (not perfect) and all players play to their potential at this stage of their careers (not as some of the vets did in their prime). The future is bright – healthy cap, all of our high draft picks, and a solid foundation of players who love to play football.